Former Minister of Finance Sinckler Waived $330,000 in Duties on Mercedes Benz for Director of Hyatt Hotel

One of the more interesting revelations made by Prime Minister Mia Mottley at yesterday’s press conference was the waiver by the last Democratic Labour Party (DLP) of duties in the amount of $330,000 on a Mercedes Benz AMG GLC Coupe on April 12, 2018- to be used by a Director of Sales of Hyatt hotel.

The point needs to be made that the construction of the Hyatt hotel was shrouded in uncertainty in uncertainty after the decision was handed down by Dr. The Hon. Madam Justice Sonia L. Richards on December 20, 2018.

The question to whom it may concern at Hyatt hotel headquarters- what is the name of the Director of Sales?

85 comments

I do not understand how a hotel that has not yet received planning permission or started construction can appoint a Director of Sales who qualifies for a duty free vehicle? I have asked Hyatt for confirmation on who has been appointed?
How many other hotel Director of Sales drive at Mercedes Benz AMG GLC on Barbados?

Prime Minister Mia Mottley yesterday asked numerous questions of the previous Democratic Labour Party (DLP) after claiming it had gone on a frenzied signing of contracts and concession offers before being voted out of office.

Mottley and Attorney General Dale Marshall believe the DLP’s actions were to deliberately tie the hands of an incoming Government.

According to the Prime Minister, there were unreasonable contract extensions, numerous renewals at statutory corporations, the signing of a contract on the day before the May 24 general election, and even the approval of more than 150 permits to taxi and tour operators in the two and a half months after Parliament’s life ran out.

“What makes it worse, is that we are no way near the bottom of discovering the deeds that were done over the course of the last few months, particularly since Parliament dissolved. The consequences are devastating to the Barbados economy,” she told reporters in her first post-Cabinet press conference yesterday. Parliament was dissolved on March 5.

Mottley said that on May 23, hours before Barbadians went to the polls, tax concessions were granted to the Hyatt Hotel Division Developments Inc., inclusive of import duty, excise tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), tax on all supplies, motor vehicles, food, alcohol, beverages, and even construction supplies.

The Prime Minister also cited a contract signed on May 8, weeks before the general election, which saw Government agreeing to a deal with a company called Global Ports Holding PLC that would grant them a 30-year concession to operate the Cruise Pier for what she called a paltry $34 million, in exchange for the Barbados Port Inc. to collect charges from cruise lines and Government receive one-sixth of the current passenger charge, and one-fifth of any increase in certain other charges.

“I will ask the Attorney General as well as the lawyers for the Port to advise on this as a matter of urgency, particularly since this contract seems to be tied to a Berth 6 contract which started with concrete piles being built in the Port in advance of any contract being entered into.”

She also noted that on May 7, another contract was signed and incentives given by the Ministry of Finance to a company called Berth 5 Projects Limited.
“That same company was allowed to remain in the Port, and build piles without the Port going to tender to issue a new contract for Berth 6.”

The Prime Minister said Berth 5 Projects’ concessions include exemption of payments of import duty and VAT for all supplies imported or purchased locally, or used exclusively in connection with the project for a period of 22 months from when the contract was signed.

“The same players are the players we expect to see,” Mottley said, adding that yesterday was not the time for name-calling.

Regarding the activity after March 5, the Prime Minister even drew reference to the procurement of a high-end Mercedes Benz AMG GLC Coupe on April 12, to be used by a director of sales for the yet-to-be built Hyatt Resort, which would cost taxpayers more than $330 000.

“I have no bias against any person, and if investments are made for the good of this country, we will do it. But I’ve asked for all these things to be reviewed urgently. There was an attempt to tie any Government’s hands with the appointment of personnel or the renewal of contracts and leases,” Mottley stressed.

We, I , call them crooks, liars and scumbags and you all behave badly and post all 30 must GO , More Proof to come, suckers again, within 18 to 24 month Mia Shall be gone or sooner as soon as the DPP and COP do their work, Alex Mitchel BFP

Lock Stinkliar to hell up…………..this is a clear abuse of the power of a MOF.

Does anyone remember how Freundel Stuart got his security detail to run a team from the Nation away when he did a site visit to Bay Street saying that it was a private meeting?

Look how things change……..all his power disappeared in the twinkling of an eye.

I constantly asked on BU whether the BTII had sold the land at Bay Street or whether the BTII would have put up yhe land as equity in the project. Needless to say there were no answers until now years and months later the PM revealed yesterday that she was told by the BTII that they have a cheque in hand for 5 million dollars.

So did Mark Maloney intend to build on our land and not pay for it? Lock Stinkliar, Freundel and Sealy up!

While looking for this Mercedes Benz AMG GLC Coupe you might stumble upon two or three others. If you heading into the country Easy, Hall and pull some big gates…………………..you might find two or three Mercedes Benz. Sounds like a His and Hers arrangement. Not much Baloney in this here story.

Since it is becoming clear that an audit is not necessary for a lot of things because of the already proven mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds involved…why not just skip to the part where outside agencies are called in and requested to investigate…all of these agencies just wait to be invited in..

..no sense playing games with enquiries which will only suck money which the taxpayers don’t have and it’s unfair to even ask the population to pay more given how much they have already lost…., just go after those million dollar bank accounts, they all leave paper trails.. go after the properties and all these overpriced vehicles that robbed the taxpayer money to be imported…

Show no mercy, none of them showed the people any and they have no more parliamentary protections, what a nerve….lock them up.

I hope people are carefully assessing what Mia is saying and trying to see if what she is saying is true and not swallowing everything hook,line and sinker.

She stated that when the blp left govt they left a debt of about $6 billion dollars – BIG LIE

The BLP left a debt of $ 8 billion dollars and by the first quarter of 2017 the dlp had racked up debt amounting to $5 billion.

If you start with a lie you cant end up with the truth.

All that feel good ‘churchillian’ talk will not cut it.The reality which you were aware of is facing everyone in the face,so stop the theatrics.You read the IMF Reports,you participated in discussions with all the rating agency – and I am sure you were not giving glowing reports to the representatives of these agencies.

You heard (rather you must have read) the last budget presented – since you walked out of parliament -you knew the business class was withholding their money yet you didn’t encourage them to invest to help the country – so now you got the reins and the end of the stick you are now holding is shitey.

Just remember business people are only in it for what they can get out of it.

She sold the barbadian public a lie and she is now trying to cover her arse.Everyone knew what the economic situation was .Therefore any responsible leader would have been more sober in their pronouncements and giveways.

Let see what the future holds.I wish the best for all of us but I am not optimistic.I trust NO politicians.If you don’t believe me check out that move by joseph artherley and see why they can’t be trusted.

Told you so many moons ago! The GoB should have gone in 2014-2015 when the option of a ‘soft’ economic restructuring programme could have been negotiated without undergoing to wide a social services dislocation and public sector decimation.

Maybe Christine Lagarde would have some sympathy or even empathy for Mia’s plight and allow her to keep the dollar as it is currently pegged to the greenback.

Mia has to ‘divest’ those SOE’s as a matter of emergency with parasitic agencies like NISE, Productivity Council, Commission for Pan African Affairs either merged or closed down.

For the record I do not agree with the DLP waiving three hundred and thirty thousand dollars for a director who was not even in position at the time and the Project had not even commenced, but lets get real – that could only be chicken feed when you compared that to the $87 MILLION DOLLARS – NOTE NOT THOUSANDS THE DLP GAVE AWAY – BUT MILLIONS under the BLP – to a foreign owned bank First Caribbean Bank,that had money coming through its eyes,ears and mouth.

Arthur asked her to address that since he had said no to the waiver and she was silent – not a peep from her on that.But she could talk now and release information about wrong doings.

Her father also got a waiver of hundreds of thousands of dollars of back taxes he owed.

Agree that those entities like NISE,Pan African commission,Rural & Urban must all be dis banded now.Enough wastage of taxpayers money.Pinelands the whole lot.Its time for some of these organisations to stand on their own 2 feet and wean themselves off the nipples of the country.It sore man.

Include in that all the concessions the private sector will be looking for.I wish there was some way we could pull back some of those concessions given to Sandals – they were too generous and for too long.

@ T.Inniss June 1, 2018 4:58 PM
“I hope people are carefully assessing what Mia is saying and trying to see if what she is saying is true and not swallowing everything hook,line and sinker.
She stated that when the blp left govt they left a debt of about $6 billion dollars – BIG LIE
The BLP left a debt of $ 8 billion dollars and by the first quarter of 2017 the dlp had racked up debt amounting to $5 billion.
If you start with a lie you cant end up with the truth.”

Now who is telling the ‘bigger’ lie here?
Have you assumed the role of the fired Stinkliar?

The statistics of the Central Bank position for the period 2007 to 2010 do not support your biased propagandistic position.

Now that Cleviston Haynes is no longer under the heavy watch of that bully and brute Sinckler, he can easily confirm that you are just another nasty liar still behaving like a bare-neck yardfowl.

From which source are you getting your ‘misinformation’? From Sinckler’s personal diary where a decimal is drawn like spotters and skinners to express a percentage in the form of a fraction?

Maybe you are using the dunce Denis Kellman’s brand of accounting by blaming the change from the cash basis to the accrual basis for the accumulated deficit since 2006.

@ T.Inniss June 1, 2018 5:12 PM
“For the record I do not agree with the DLP waiving three hundred and thirty thousand dollars for a director who was not even in position at the time and the Project had not even commenced, but lets get real – that could only be chicken feed when you compared that to the $87 MILLION DOLLARS – NOTE NOT THOUSANDS THE DLP GAVE AWAY – BUT MILLIONS under the BLP – to a foreign owned bank First Caribbean Bank,that had money coming through its eyes,ears and mouth.”

Why don’t you listen to William Layne who was the PS in the MoF at the time?

It was a widely agreed ‘ministerial decision made against the backdrop of the many spin-off benefits to accrue to the economy of Barbados.

Why do you think the FCB has its regional HQ in Barbados employing Bajans and other regional staff similar to the CDB?

What you should be enquiring about is where the money to build the Hyatt hotel will be coming from? Is this an FDI project or another Maloney mausoleum funded by the taxpayers and NIS contributors?

Where did the money come from to import the Mercedes for a non-existent Director of Imaginary Sales?

The new MoF would be within her legal right to recover any duties and taxes foregone because the vehicle was purchased / imported under false pretenses or through fraudulent means in cahoots with Stinkliar.

The DLP PISSED poison on everything so that nobody could touch it when they left…They PISSED on the economy, they PISSED on good Governance, They PISSED on accountability…they did not give a DAMN about Barbados. After watching the press conference yesterday the DLP must be declared the largest criminal organisation in Barbados…..I am reluctant to even support PM Mia Mottley to offer two Senate seats to the DLP. HOW can any rational thinking person support the DEMS. Fumble and his Cabinet must be LOCKED UP!!!!….the 30-0 election result is more than deserved. THEY DON’T DESERVE NOT ONE RH SEAT!!!!

Scorched earth policy is what a retreating army does to the enemy as they turn tail and run. They destroy any and everything of value that cannot be plundered in order to punish those coming after them and leaving nothing of value for the conquering army. That is what we have here. Barbadians were the enemy and the DLP government the retreating army. But you know what? Had we rid ourselves of this rotten lot five years ago, this would not be happening today. If you voted for them five years ago AND again five days ago, go ahead and hang your head in shame. This is what you have done to our nation and our children yet unborn.

@ T.Inniss June 1, 2018 6:00 PM
“Miller
You are telling me a Permanent Secretary can overall his boss – the Minister of Finance?”

No “TI”, the total idiot!

What Mr. Layne explained was the process and the factors involved that led to that ministerial decision in which the projected wider economic benefits far outweighed the short-term tax revenues arising from the transfer of property involving the merger of Barclays Bank and CIBC Barbados.

Does that make sense to you T I?

Think Cost-U-Less and you might just get your hard head around such a well-informed decision-making process.

Which would you go for? The shopkeeper C-U-L competing against the indigenous traders or the merged regional banker prepared to employ your university graduates from the school of business and finance?

Maybe Dr. J. Robinson should raise his embarrassingly swollen head above the parapet and guide you in choosing the ‘right’ option.

Since you know so much about the workings of the Ministry of Finance why don’t you tell us who was the MoF, either substantive or acting, that signed off on the waiver of interest and penalties for MAM’s old man?

You have been a veteran stalwart on BU for how many years? And yet you appeared surprised about these so-called revelations which emanated from Mia’s press conference. You are in good company, Czar MIa shared your sentiments. However for the rest of us who have followed BU these last five years, none of this comes as a revelation; rather, it confirms what we have always suspected: the DLP was the party of sleaze which practised corruption on a grand scale.

It would appear to me that Czar MIa is building a case that is likely to lead to the jailing of a large number of high profile figures. Should she go down this route, she will acquire legendary status. Terms such as the Mother of the nation will be used to describe her. The day is approaching when either her bust or her statue will replace that of the infamous pitchfork in the Garisson.

I waiting patiently to see these convicted politicians. I hope it does not end up the same way the last BLP lied and destroyed a man – Brandford Taitt on the St Joseph Hospital – and after all the investigations and enquiries,the man was proven innocent but by that time his reputation was destroyed and he died a broken man.

Mia in true nasty fashion of the BLP is going down the same road – throw out nuff allegations out there- hold some files and papers in your hand – muddy the waters and tarnish people’s name – even though your hands are not clean – and at the end of it don’t come back to the people and say the charge was not true.

Well, well, what a surprise! And all along we were thinking that you were fully seized with that vital piece of ‘confidential’ information.

Don’t you think you should be hearing it from the mouth of the same horse ‘who’ raised it on a political platform which backfired resulting in a resounding 30-0 defeat?

The braying jackass who has now been dispatched to the political wilderness of oblivion and condemned to the notoriously negative pages of Bajan history has nothing to lose since he has already broken his ministerial oath to the Crown.

Let him also tell you ‘who’ the minister was?

That jackass for a Muttley ought to be stripped of his ‘Right Honourable’ status.

T Inniss all the spin you are trying cannot distract from the revelations made by Ms Mottley about the deeds of the Dems,so reel and come again.You sound like a disgruntled Dem who is shell shocked by your heavy defeat trying to distract people from the serios issues at hand but it will not work.How can someone get a waiver for a non existent position Mr inniss?Where the hell were you when the Dems were wrecking the economy J/A?Where you come from all of a sudden?Take a leaf out of Ms Holder and the Trni Dem and go underground with your rubbish talk.

You have to give context to your query. Owen Arthur framed his prosecution of the two matters in a way to suggest Mottley is culpable. Evidence shows she was not the acting MoF or Prime Minister in Arthur’s absence. What is the point?

I took careful note that the order to waive the duty on the car was made on April 12, 2018. At that time Parliament was dissolved. As a result, the order could not be laid in Parliament. As soon as practicable after the opening of Parliament that order must be laid. After that either house can resolve to annul the order within 40 days of of being laid.

The ball is therefore in the Government’s court if it wants to waive the taxes.

“She stated that when the blp left govt they left a debt of about $6 billion dollars – BIG LIE.”

T. Inniss

Could you please present to this forum the evidence to substantiate your claim……….

………..such as Central Bank and Auditor General reports, statistics from the ministry of finance, IMF consultation reports or reports from the international financial and rating agencies?

If you cannot, then likewise (and from now onwards) we should also “assess your contributions to determine if what you write is true and not swallowing everything hook, line and sinker.”
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“You have to give context to your query. Owen Arthur framed his prosecution of the two matters in a way to suggest Mottley is culpable. Evidence shows she was not the acting MoF or Prime Minister in Arthur’s absence. What is the point?”

David

It is clear T. Inniss is a disgruntled, hypocritical DEM.

He wants this forum to BELIEVE Stuart’s comments relative to the alleged $87M waiver to CIBC/Barclays Bank………

…………but we should DISBELIEVE Mottley’s findings because, in his/her mind, it’s all part of a “BLP ploy.”

I cannot understand why the DLP do not “recruit” competent yard-fowls to defend the party’s position in these forums.

What Inniss should do is present the evidence to substantiate his/her claim……..it’s that simple. Bring the proof that Mottley was acting finance minister at the time and signed the waiver.

The more salient point is that it is incumbent on leaders to find a way to build consensus/partnerships to achieve the goal. Government’s mandate via its agent minsters failed to build a cohesive civil society and would have contributed to the sad state of affairs we now find ourselves. Working in prime minister Mottley’s favour is that events have piled up to force consensus which will make her job easier at the bargaining table.

Don’t know how accurate but there are also accusations of others importing mercedes and having taxes waived at taxpayer’s expense…6 days before elections, hopefully this criminal scam against the taxpayers by the fruendel exgovernment can also be voided…and promptly,..

All the Fruendel ex government ever did in office for a decade right up to the end, is to rob the majority population to benefit a few…and themselves.

All the Blp yardfowls who are firing off their pens,have you seen the evidence that Mottley is now alleging?

Have you examined the papers or files?

Is that the true full story?

I won’t be responding to every crap you all write so let me make that clear but It seems the same standards you all used when judging stuart and his team,should be used to judge mottley and her team.

You all would like people to believe that everyone who has accused mottley in the past is just a case of sour grapes or they don’t like mottley or they jealous or some such thing but reality is going to hit you hard in the face one day and the very thing that you think is the best thing now will be an aversion to you.

Some people asking the former govt to respond but did mottley ever respond to owen and payne,marshall,gline and toppin’s charge that the hundreds of thousands left in the blp coffers went missing under her with no explanation?

Did she respond to her who intervened and granted her father tax waivers of hundreds of thousands of dollars or the $87 million dollars waivers to first Caribbean bank or even her not having a legal certificate to practice?

Did she respond to charges from maria agard,david gill,hutson Griffith and others how she worked behind the scenes using dirty tatics to oust them out?

What seem so sweet today will one day be like poison to all the hangers -on.

This 30 -0 win that seems like the best thing ever going to be the biggest mill stones around your necks.

Why should she have responded in a classic case where the DLP formatted a campaign to attack her and needed her to respond to feed the strategy? She detected that the majority of public opinion was on her side and from a strategic stance ignored and was able to withstand the broadsides. Bajans for the majority were turned off by it. If Arthur had something to accuse Mottley of, he should have been more pointed read supported his accusations with paper work. Instead we had his surrogate Glyne Murray suggesting we wait for Arthur’s memoirs to be published.

The examples I have given go way before this election and involved not only the DLP or Arthur but other individual members of the party

Arthur would not have had the paper work at the time when he had the press conference but Stuart had copies of it.But remember david the DLP is never as good at this thing as the BLP.I agree with you If I were the DLP I would have found some way to release that evidence even using social media which from the campaign and leading up to it – it was clear the DLP party has not mastered that area as yet.

Be that as it may the Arthur accusations were specific as you alluded. They were obviously designed to slur Mottley in the heat of the political campaign, it fizzled when the evidence did not support. It as a blunder by the DLP campaign that relied on attacking Mottley frontally and covertly. Cold analysis of what transpired. It is all moot now, time to rebuild and rescue Barbados. Be part of the solution, Barbados first!

I took careful note that the order to waive the duty on the car was made on April 12, 2018. At that time Parliament was dissolved. As a result, the order could not be laid in Parliament. As soon as practicable after the opening of Parliament that order must be laid. After that either house can resolve to annul the order within 40 days of of being laid.
The ball is therefore in the Government’s court if it wants to waive the taxes.
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I’ve seen a number of billions ($B) appearing in various comments. I g one assume that the population of Barbados was 300,000 then a debt of $1B means the average Barbadian is responsible for $3.3K in debt. A debt of $5B put that average around $16,5K.
In other post, I’ve seen some try to localize the problem to the Garrison school and Sinckler. Whilst that may be comfort to some, the problem is far worse. How do we get a party without a sense of patriotism, that does not care one iota for the welfare of the country, only interested in enriching themselves and turning the nation’s business into a series of scams. This was more than the failure of a “small school’s” boy, it was a failure of the education systems to teach pride and national responsibility.

3.It is surprising how the “DLP” has absent itself from the political scene and left a number of yardfowls to fight and protect it’s retreat These politicians have in fact heeded the good old advice of “Take the money and run”.

One would hope that Mariposa et al were paid on a monthly basis. In this case, we may hear less of them as time passes. One would have hope that they would have given the nation a chance.

Mia Mottley’s transgressions were punished by the elections that followed those transgression.
Given the stage we were act and that fact that the nations as a whole Just rejected the DLP, for us to begin a rehash of events prior to 2008 is not productive.

The waiving of duties is, in simple words, the transferring of wealth from the poor to the wealthy. Poor people have to pay for their motor vehicles; the wealthy claim them as tax deductibles, even though the vehicles are used privately.

@John
Wondering why you want to have an election all over again
I hear that you are busy campaigning in St. Michael North West as that is where the margin was the smallest.
Good luck if they do a do over.